Meng Shanming understood. Slowly, he said, "The feudal vassals are losing ground. The rebel army is rampant. The imperial court has no choice but to relinquish power to the Southern Province. Daoye is indeed a good man. But … the rebel army is expanding rapidly. Many people will lose their homes in the war."
Niu Youdao understood the logic. Encouraging the rebel army to expand their war zone would only harm the common people.
"General Meng, this is the way of the world. Some things are unavoidable. If we don't fight for the initiative, the initiative will fall into the hands of those people. They will never change. The common people will not be able to wait for dawn. If we have the heart, everything we do will be worth it."
Niu Youdao's tone was heavy. He knew that his decision would kill many people. He stood up slowly and paced back and forth in the room.
"Although I don't know much about war, I still know some basic principles. Encouraging the rebel army to expand the war zone will make them tired. After the war, the military strength will spread too. It will be difficult for the front and the back. The feudal vassals will not be united and retreat. This will speed up the trend of the rebel army and force them into a dead end. If there is an external force, the bowstring will break! "
"Although the feudal vassals are defeated, the troops are in position and can counterattack at any time. We are only waiting for General Meng's order! At this time, the worse the situation is, the better it is for us. The imperial court is useless. The Yan people are disappointed! The feudal vassals are useless. The Yan people are disappointed! Who can save the Yan people? At this time, the son of King Ning raised his arm and commanded the feudal vassals. The army of the Southern Province rushed out like tigers and wolves. They swept away the rebellion internally and deterred the enemies externally. They turned the tide and saved the Yan people. What do you think? "
He walked up to Meng Shanming and asked.
Guan Fangyi, who was listening by the side, was shocked. Only now did she truly understand Niu Youdao's true intentions.
Meng Shanming was silent for a long time. His eyes were dark and gloomy. Finally, he sighed. "Daoye has great foresight. I will write the letter!"
Niu Youdao straightened his back and gestured to Guan Fangyi. The latter immediately went to fetch the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and personally ground the ink for Meng Shanming.
After tonight, Niu Youdao did not let Meng Shan Ming leave. Instead, he asked Meng Shan Ming to stay and analyze the situation of the battle for him.
…
The army was stationed at a place with lush greenery between the mountains and the water. The Provincial Governor of Gong Province, Xu Jingyue, and a few of his subordinates were pacing back and forth by the lake, discussing matters.
A lowly soldier ran over and reported, "Sir, there's someone outside requesting to see you. He says he's an old friend of yours."
"Old friend?" Xu Jingyue turned around and asked, "Who?"
The soldier replied, "I don't know, he didn't want to say. He said that you will know when you see him."
Soon, the so-called 'old friend' was brought over. One of the accompanying cultivators whispered in Xu Jingyue's ear, "It's a cultivator. He's been captured and searched. There's nothing else but a letter." The letter flashed in his hand.
Xu Jingyue looked at the 'old friend' and realized that he did not know him. He asked, "Who are you? Why are you pretending to be my old friend?"
The newcomer lifted his chin towards the letter and said, "Sir, you will know the reason once you read the letter."
The letter is for me? Xu Jingyue's gaze returned to the letter.
The cultivator beside him immediately tore open the letter and shook out a piece of paper. After confirming that there were no problems, he handed it over to Xu Jingyue.
Xu Jingyue held the letter and scanned it. When he touched the familiar handwriting on the letter, his expression changed. He continued to read it carefully.
The more he read, the more complicated his expression became. Finally, he looked up to the sky and sighed. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.
The letter was written by Meng Shan Ming. In the letter, Meng Shan Ming reprimanded Yan and asked him why he, Xu Jingyue, did not kill the enemy and serve his country when Yan Yuan was in danger. Every word in the letter was filled with his desire to go to war. Unfortunately, he was restrained by the imperial court. He had nowhere to use his power and nowhere to vent his anger. He could only write a letter to reprimand Yan Yuan.
…
In an important courtyard where a large number of soldiers were gathered, Tuzhou Provincial Governor An Xianzhao sat in front of a desk. His hands trembled as he held the letter. His eyes were filled with tears.
Meng Shan Ming roared in the letter. He wanted to go to the battlefield with his old and weak body. How could he endure this?
Finally, he slammed the letter on the desk. He shook his head and cried, "Commander Meng!"
…
On the official road, a large army was marching forward. The war was urgent, but it was dragging on.
Under a tree by the road, Chang Provincial Governor Zhang Hu, who was holding the letter, suddenly turned around and punched the trunk of the tree several times. His eyes were red and the leaves fell from his punches.
The deputy general beside him was surprised. "Sir, why do you have to do this?"
Zhang Hu threw the letter to him.
The deputy general read it and sighed. "Commander Meng, why do you have to do this? Now is not the time when King Ning has the military power. Even if our brothers fight to the death, what can they do? They sacrifice their lives for the country and die on the battlefield. Instead, they become traitors in the eyes of the imperial court. Who can accept this? "
Zhang Hu placed his fists on the tree and lowered his head. "Back then, I was just a Groom. If not for Commander Meng's help, how could I be where I am today? Commander Meng, with my old and weak body, weeps blood and laments. I really … "As he said this, he suddenly let go of the letter and turned around. He said angrily," Who does Wugong Ridge think he is? How dare he say that he can defeat Yan? When I was famous on the battlefield, his brother was still leading the horse for the Prince. Order the army to move forward immediately! "
The deputy general was shocked. "Sir! Even if you don't think for yourself, you have to think for your brothers. If Commander Meng loses everything, who will take care of them? Are they counting on the imperial court? "
Zhang Hu said angrily, "You dare to disobey?"
"I …" The deputy general was speechless. In the end, he could only carry out the order.
Soon, the army moved faster and started to trot forward.
Zhang Hu led a group of personal guards and galloped to the front of the army.
Almost at the same time, several cultivators spurred their horses and rushed over, catching up to Zhang Hu. In a loud voice, they asked, "Provincial Governor, why did you suddenly increase the speed of the army?"
Almost at the same time, a few cultivators galloped to the front and caught up with Zhang Hu. They asked loudly, "Why did the Provincial Governor suddenly increase the speed of the army?"
… …
In the Yan Imperial Palace, the Elder of Xiao Yao Palace, Shi Sheng, was standing under the eaves. He stroked his beard with one hand and read a letter with the other. He was reading the letter that Meng Shanming wrote to the Provincial Governor of Haozhou, Su Qitong. Su Qitong was the person who supported Haozhou from behind.
After he finished reading the letter, his junior martial brother who was waiting at the side said, "Senior martial brother, Su Qitong thinks that Meng Shanming's words are reasonable. When the nest is overturned, no eggs can remain intact. He hopes that he can fight the rebel army without holding back!"
Su Qitong scolded, "What fight? What bravery! Is he good at fighting? Should we drag him to fight with Han Song? Is this the time for him to show off? The troops of Haozhou have all died. Do you think Shang Jianxiong can be merciful? If you stabilize the situation at the front, he can fill in the gaps at the back. Who among the reinforcements isn't waiting for others to die? Is it his turn to take the lead? "
The junior martial brother said, "Senior martial brother, I don't mean anything else. I'm just passing on his message."
At this moment, a disciple ran over and said to Shi Sheng, "Teacher, the Sect Leader has summoned you urgently."
Shi Sheng asked, "What's the matter?"
The disciple said, "The rebel army of Cangzhou suddenly increased their offensive. The troops of the Imperial Court are losing ground."
The two martial brothers looked at each other and left quickly.
When they arrived at a palace, the higher-ups of Xiao Yao Palace had all arrived. They saw Long Xiu pacing back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back.
Now that everyone was here, Long Xiu asked Yi Shu to report the situation.
Then, Long Xiu stopped and said to the crowd, "The rebel army of Cangzhou suddenly increased their offensive. I'm afraid that the situation has changed. The disciples in the army that is confronting Han Song must be reminded immediately to prevent a surprise attack from the opposing army."
The crowd nodded. Shi Sheng then said, "Sect Leader, we can't ignore the internal strife. Should we let the army of Nanzhou join the battle?"
As soon as he said this, Yi Shu suddenly said, "Martial Uncle, the thief even dares to rob the grain of the Imperial Court. Do you still expect him to help?"
Long Xiu glanced at her coldly as if saying, "Since when did you have the right to speak?"
Yi Shu lowered her head. She knew that she was being presumptuous and didn't dare to say another word.
Long Xiu finally realized that this disciple of his hated Niu Youdao to an extraordinary degree. Could it be that she saw through his intention of marrying her down?
This thought only flashed in his mind for a moment. He put it aside and said to the crowd, "Now is the time to exhaust the forces of the Eastern and Western Armies. This matter can be delayed. There is no need to rush for Nanzhou to break the stalemate. Moreover, that fellow Niu Youdao is a little hard to control. It's uncertain whether he will obey and send out troops. However, the rebel army of Cangzhou is nothing to worry about. I don't believe that the joint efforts of several families and the feudal vassals can't destroy him. "
Shi Sheng, who crossed his arms in front of him, touched the letter in his sleeve. Meng Shanming had already made it clear that as long as the court gave the order, Nanzhou would certainly send out troops.
However, he didn't take out the letter in the end. Otherwise, when he was unwilling to use force in the future, people would see through his intentions.
Long Xiu then asked, "What's the movement of the grain in Nanzhou?"
An elder sighed. "They did hand it over. News came from Dingzhou's Xue Xiao that they handed over another 20 carriages today. However, according to his method of handing over, even after 100 days, he can only hand over 2,000 carriages. I'm afraid that after the battle, he will only be able to hand over the slightest bit. Unfortunately, we can't do anything to him. If we force him, we'll be afraid that he will rebel. This bastard is truly fearless!"
Yi Shu gritted her teeth and silently cursed, "Bastard!"
"Hmph!" Long Xiu laughed coldly. "See how I'll deal with him later! Hurry, continue to urge him to speed up! Didn't he say there was a problem with the carriages? Let Xue Xiao gather carriages from Dingzhou to pick them up. I want to see what excuse he has to delay! "
Excuse? There was no need for a reason. Before the carriages gathered from Dingzhou entered Nanzhou, they encountered a group of masked bandits who defeated the Dingzhou escorts. The commoners driving the carriages scattered in fear.
The bandits didn't manage to steal anything and were furious. They set all the carriages on fire and burned them …
In the Thatched Villa, Guan Fangyi quickly walked to Niu Youdao's courtyard and found Niu Youdao, who was talking to Meng Shanming. She reported, "News came from the Great Zen Mountain that the three major sects didn't ask us for an explanation for the destruction of the grain carriages. They went to the Great Zen Mountain to ask for an explanation. They gave the Great Zen Mountain three days to find the bandits. Huang Lie has a headache."
After saying this, she couldn't help but laugh. The three major sects knew that it was useless to look here, so they started to make things difficult for the Great Zen Mountain.
Niu Youdao said, "That's simple. Just have Huang Lie say that the bandits have already entered the Zhao Kingdom."
Guan Fangyi couldn't help but laugh. "You just have to hold on to this batch of grain!"
Niu Youdao shook his head and sighed. "How many people have died in the fight between the cultivators of the five countries on the way here? Why is the grain safe once it reaches Nanzhou? Do you think I'm only after Han Song's money? It's the same. The Jin and Qi Kingdom's resources are the safest through Nanzhou. If they go anywhere else, there will be people who will rob and destroy them. They will understand in the future. I am the one who truly protected the grain for Yan Kingdom. Everything that falls into my hands is unharmed! "
Guan Fangyi finally understood. She looked at Niu Youdao with a complicated expression. She finally understood what it meant to put in so much effort.
Meng Shanming, who was sitting in the wheelchair, showed a respectful expression. He finally understood someone's painstaking efforts.
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